Making sitting and talking scenes less boring

Yes, write some realistic dialogue that leads the reader to somewhere towards developing the plot further...something besides chit-chat. Be brief when you set the table...descriptive text...be on the brief side with dialogue...not pages and pages unless it supports the plot development. Do some research...even go over to an elderly home and volunteer a bit...or find older male volunteers...and take notes and get their life experiences and perspective.

[edit" ooops..I just re-read and you might NOT be the writer. That changes things. If you can, don't sit in the same spot with the same psoture...if your director allows you to move about a bit. - change positions...change expressions..being active and actively involved and make sure you react (appropriately) to what is being said to you.

maybe you can speak to the director and ask about how you can act in a way that might be not boring. that is the job of the director - to lead you in that way. remember if you look engaged in what you're doing the audience is more likely to be engaged, too.

Heart to heart talks can happen even when there's other activity going on.

How about both putting together a puzzle, or playing a card game at the table?

More than likely, that would be the call of the Director - not an actor.

Thanks. No, I'm not the author
I will definitely talk with my director to see his point of view. I have had boring talks like this in other plays as well and the directors didn't say anything about it, but I have always been conscious of it.

Well not all directors at the local level are good ones, sad to say. Be diplomatic and make some constructive suggestions and see how they're received.

What is the subject of the heart to heart discussion? If it is about a family member, you could be sharing a photo album while you talk. If it is about a girl friend, you could be twirling a ring in your fingers while you talk. If it is about auto mechanics, you could be wiping your hands with a dirty rag.

The idea is to pick something from the subject of the discussion and find a prop to highlight that something. The manner in which you interact with the item can also set the mood for the discussion. If you are impatiently turning pages of a photo album while talking, that says something different from studying the photos carefully on each page before turning them. Tossing the ring back and forth from hand to hand can show nervousness or excited anticipation. Rubbing the ring with a distant look in your eyes can convey a sense of loss. Wiping your hands could mean you got interrupted while fixing the car or it could mean you want to clean yours so you can shake the other person's hand as a way of thanking them for something.

You could be tilting your chair back and forth while talking, or you could be carefully rubbing the table with your hands, or drumming your fingers impatiently, or hammering the table with your fist, etc.

Get the idea?